Pension case heard in NJ Supreme Court today

Union members rally outside the Statehouse Annex in 2011, as the Senate Budget & Appropriations Committee was considering the pension reform bill. Lawyers for unions are before the Supreme Court today regarding the same law -- only now they're fighting to uphold it. ASBURY PARK PRESS PHOTO BY THOMAS P. COSTELLO

State Supreme Court hears oral arguments regarding the lawsuit by unions seeking to force Gov. Chris Christie's administration to contribute $1.57 billion more than planned into the pension fund next month, to comply with a law he signed in his first term requiring ramped-up contributions, 10 a.m. in Trenton.

Assembly Budget Committee holds a pair of hearings reviewing Gov. Chris Christie's budget proposal in Committee Room 11 of the Statehouse Annex in Trenton. At 10 a.m., it looks at the Department of the Treasury, including the State Comptroller, Economic Development Authority, Board of Public Utilities and interdepartmental accounts. At 2 p.m., it looks at the state judiciary.

The Department of Environmental Protection holds a hearing on Seaside Heights' proposal to allow Casino Pier to expand on 1.36 acres of public beach, allowing it to build a new Ferris wheel and roller coaster, 6 p.m. at Seaside Heights Borough Hall. To compensate, open space would be provided elsewhere and the Dentzel Loof Carousel preserved as a museum.

U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., North Arlington Mayor Joseph Bianchi and former North Arlington police chief Joseph Zadroga hold a 1 p.m. news conference to urge the passage of legislation that would permanently reauthorize the World Trade Center Health Program, which monitors and treats 9/11 first responders. Zadroga's son, James, was a New York Police Department officer who died in 2006 at age 34 of a respiratory disease attributed to his help with recovery operations.

Health Commissioner Mary O'Dowd discusses health-care issues at a New Jersey Business & Industry Association 'Meet the Decision Makers' event, 8 a.m. at Forsgate Country Club in Monroe.

The National Education Association and New Jersey Education Association host a learning tour and community forum on the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans, 11 a.m. at Trenton Central High School. The speakers include the Rev. Al Sharpton.

New Jersey Association of Counties holds its annual convention, today through Friday at Caesar's in Atlantic City.

Statehouse Reporter:
Michael Symons is one of the longest-tenured reporters currently covering New Jersey politics from the Statehouse in Trenton, an assignment that has spanned six governors – though because it’s been a particularly tumultuous era, that’s actually only been since 2000. Before being assigned to Trenton, where his specialties include the state budget, Michael worked at the Home News Tribune (back when it had an ampersand in its name) and one of its predecessors, The News Tribune. He’s a lifelong New Jerseyan, raised in North Arlington in Bergen County and currently living in East Amwell in Hunterdon County, with a stop in between to graduate from Rutgers University in New Brunswick in 1993. Michael is co-author of the first biography of Gov. Chris Christie, ""Chris Christie: The Inside Story of His Rise to Power,"" published in 2012 by St. Martin’s Press. He has appeared on national television outlets such as MSNBC and C-SPAN, is a regular guest on NJTV’s public-affairs program Reporters Roundtable and has been interviewed on radio stations in New Jersey and around the country. In 2008, he created a state politics blog, Capitol Quickies, that continues to provide news and not-quite-news about New Jersey, its politics and government, including a daily scene-setter of the state’s political calendar. He’s on Twitter at @MichaelSymons_, where every week he receives inquiries about cooking he’s ill-equipped to answer from people hoping to connect with the similarly named Iron Chef star.